Letters, Oct. 25

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2023 (1054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Worth a thousand words

In a time when everyone with a phone thinks they’re a photographer, thank you for two photographs from John Woods in the Oct. 23 edition of the Free Press.

Each was a clear reminder of what a skilled, professional photographer can do, with one illustrating a rally in front of City Hall, the other capturing a critical moment at a local football game.

While recognizing that they are two completely different events, Woods’ perfectly timed and beautifully framed images captured the essence of both events.

Thank you for those images, they immeasurably enriched their corresponding articles.

Robert Shaw

Winnipeg

Important distinction

As all of us watch the news events unfold in Gaza with horror, it would be wise for all of us to remember that the despicable actions of Hamas started the conflagration this time, and that while the members of Hamas are all Palestinian, not all Palestinians are members of Hamas.

Robert Collings

Winnipeg

Get serious about water

Re: Future success flows from water planning (Oct. 21)

Canada needs to become a leader in fresh water protection. Today, our waters suffer from ignorance and denial, for we have entrusted the care of our water sources to the wrong people.

With a mere 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, Canada has jurisdiction of over 20 per cent of the global fresh water supply, a vast and valuable resource that is largely taken for granted by those who use and depend on it.

Canada and the water issues in individual provinces needs attention, not rhetoric.

This is the result of governments’ wishy-washy policies and the illogical practice that agricultural and commerce operators have a right to run the show. Whatever happened to the public good as the guiding principle?

What Canada so desperately needs is a federal water commissioner, someone with the courage and resourcefulness — and clout — to lay down appropriate regulations (which are yet to be put in place) to protect all the waters within our nation, Canada. The present mishmash of every province doing their own thing with an out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude is not acceptable, as we have well experienced and recognized in the past.

Let’s get serious about water consumption, caring for and protecting all our water sources.

Let us work and look to the future, for the sake of our children and future generations. A future that isn’t filled with disaster and water hardships.

John Fefchak

Virden

Give peace a chance

Re: Tensions erupt at opposing rallies (Oct. 23)

A third party needed to be represented at this rally. They should have stood between the opposing sides with signs reading:

“Peace” — “We are all Human” — “Stop war” — “End the Brutality and Suffering” — “War is Inhuman.” At the same time, blasting over loudspeakers songs like: John Lennon and Yoko Ono singing Give Peace a Chance or the Youngbloods: “Come on people now… try to love one another right now.”

If that sounds like airy-fairy nonsense to you, then keep your mindset and keep perpetuating the tragedy of war.

I have been thankful to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his careful, diplomatic responses. His easy path would have been to follow U.S. President Joe Biden’s response, which was to immediately pledge U.S. support behind Israel. As a Canadian, I felt proud that our leader showed strength and conviction by not choosing sides, but rather referring to international laws.

Marilyn Bird

Winnipeg

Peace must be for all

Re: Stop catastrophe now (Letters, Oct. 23)

Debbie Hubbard might do well to remind her co-Palestinian/Hamas sympathizers that demonstrations must be peaceful. Yelling “Kill all Jews” does not, in my view, encourage a move for peace.

She appears to be critical of Israel’s warning the Palestinians to get out of Gaza, so they won’t be killed if there is a ground invasion in Gaza by Israel. I would suggest that every Israeli would have preferred such a warning by Hamas before Hamas stormed into Israel killing men, women, children and babies and dragging people from their homes to kidnap them.

It might also be noted that none of the Arab countries condemning Israel want to take in Palestinians. Perhaps that is a matter Ms. Hubbard might address.

As for her calling for an end to occupation, that might be facilitated if the Palestinians and Hamas would accept the right of Israel, the Israelis and Jewish people to exist. One wonders how Israel can negotiate with people who will consider nothing less than the extermination of Jews.

Like Ms. Hubbard, I can understand the desire of innocent, civilian Palestinians who want their own state. But not if that includes the destruction of Israel and the murdering of Jews.

Ms. Hubbard might also be asked how any other country or people would react should its citizens be attacked as the Israelis were.

I see that Ms. Hubbard signs her letter indicating that she is a member of “Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East.”

That can only be achieved if people such as she would show as much empathy and concern for Israel as they do for Hamas and the Palestinians. Justice and peace must be available for the Israelis as well as the Palestinians.

Naomi Z. Levine

Winnipeg

Unconvinced by Khan

Re: MLA Khan would embrace local peacemaker role (Oct. 23)

Just when I think my nausea about the Tories’ provincial election campaign has subsided, out comes Obby Khan.

A mere couple weeks after he stood with a party that engaged in a horrific campaign of defamation intended to inflame and split the people of his province, he now presents himself as a “local peacemaker.”

He stood by smiling as his fellow Manitobans were being attacked but now he solemnly and sweetly sees himself as a mediator of international conflict and wanting to “work towards Manitobans coming together”?

The duplicity in this overwhelms me.

Val Kellberg

Winnipeg

Seniors deserve better

I wish to indicate a lack of support by the new NDP government for our Manitoba seniors.

Premier Wab Kinew might as well have slapped the seniors of Manitoba in the face.

The reason that former premier Heather Stefanson created a new department responsible for seniors was because she realized the department of health was just too massive to give the proper attention to the increasing needs of the people who built our province.

A step backward is inexcusable. The first course of action by this NDP government was to eliminate a function that supports and identifies initiatives to help Manitoba seniors.

If they spent the same time worrying about the needs of seniors as they do other interests, the needs of a significant growing seniors demographic would get the attention it justly deserves.

If anything, a focused minister of seniors with a department should have been expanded, not eliminated, to further serve our seniors. Even if a further advocacy position is added, that is no excuse to not have an elected, focused minister to address seniors and their long-term needs.

The NDP just don’t want to take responsibility, they just want to hand off responsibility to non-elected, non-accountable entities.

They never felt a seniors strategy was required and this action — or inaction — proves it.

The PC government developed a plan to address seniors’ needs.

It had a massive increase in personal care home (PCH) beds (which the NDP will try and take credit for), as well as implementing many initiatives coming out of the seniors strategy, including hearing aid grants, home modification programs, and home care supports with an emphasis on allowing seniors to age at home.

As well,the PC government recognized there needed to be a bridge between PCHs and independent living with the community support living program. These seniors supports are a result of a focused minister of seniors. Seniors deserve their own department with their own minister.

The NDP just showed their true colours by allowing Health to put seniors in the backseat — SHAME.

The PCs will not let them away with ignoring the builders of Manitoba — Manitoba seniors.

The PC opposition will demand seniors get the same focus the NDP are giving others.

Scott Johnston

Former minister, seniors and long-term care

Winnipeg